Fathom
by Rosalind2013
Summary: Ladybug finds some silly love advice on the internet and absolutely has to share it with her crime fighting partner.


**This is a true one shot, so there won't be any more chapters after this one!**

 **It's based on a post I saw online, and I honestly couldn't help thinking that Marinette should totally give it a shot because it would definitely work for her.**

 **And then I thought about it all day, and then I wrote this. *Throws story at readers***

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Fathom**

The Parisian skyline twinkled like a million little stars as Ladybug and Chat Noir lounged atop the roof of an apartment building. The only thing that could have made it better would be if the light pollution didn't block out the actual stars, but Ladybug wouldn't complain. It had been a long week at school, which included two projects and a presentation.

Luckily, Hawkmoth hadn't sent out an akuma since the week before. Unfortunately, it also meant she hadn't had an excuse to get out of her house and away from her books. When Tikki told her that Chat Noir had called, she was thrilled to accept his request to meet up.

They set up social visits every so often, and Ladybug found that her partner was quite a bit calmer when he wasn't in the midst of a battle. Sometimes she was surprised at just how insightful he could be when it was just the two of them staring out at the city. She supposed she shouldn't be surprised; Chat Noir was possibly the sweetest person she'd ever met.

She laughed as she remembered something she saw earlier in the day, "Oh, I read something online that reminded me of you."

His eyes widened in surprise before his lips began to quirk up in that insufferable smirk, and Ladybug braced herself for the inevitable flirting that would ensue.

Chat Noir waggled his eyebrows and leaned into her personal space, "So you were thinking about me, My Lady?"

She rolled her eyes and placed a hand on his chest to halt his advances, "Unfortunately."

"It's okay, Bugaboo. You're always on _my_ mind too," he murmured in a velvety tone.

Ladybug's heart fluttered a bit, and she jolted with surprise when she realized he'd actually gotten to her. She eyed him with disbelief, wondering how he'd caught her off guard like that.

Apparently, she'd been staring a bit too long.

Chat Noir gave her a saucy wink.

"Like what you see?" he remarked.

She huffed and gave him a lighthearted shove using the hand that was still on his chest. She might have worried about hurting his feelings if he were anyone else, but she knew Chat. He didn't miss a beat, and doubled over with laughter immediately.

His good mood was contagious, and soon Ladybug found herself giggling along with him. Something in his laugh called to mind images of rain, though she couldn't fathom why.

"What reminded you of me?" he inquired, gazing at her without a trace of teasing in his green eyes. Ladybug gave him a fond smile and flipped her yoyo open to show him the post she'd seen.

 **Unsure of how to confess your love to someone? Try this:**

 **1\. Acquire several dozen limes.**

 **2\. Go up to them and then drop all the limes**

 **3\. Start picking them up, but keep dropping them. The clumsier you look, the better.**

 **4\. Keep doing this until you have their attention (this could take up to thirty minutes).**

 **5\. Finally, gather up the limes. Try looking a bit sheepish.**

 **6\. Look them deeply in the eyes and say, "Sorry, I'm bad at Pickup Limes."**

 **7\. Marry them.**

Chat snorted in an undignified manner, "That's the best thing I've ever seen!"

Ladybug smiled at absolute glee in his eyes, "I thought you'd like it. Even if it _is_ completely unrealistic."

He grinned, "Doesn't seem unrealistic to me. Limes are pretty easy to get ahold of."

The spotted superheroine rolled her eyes, "The seventh step is a bit presumptuous, don't you think?"

Chat Noir placed a hand over his heart, "Ladybug, if a girl used that pickup line on me, I'd totally marry her."

Ladybug snorted and punched him in the arm, "Shut up! No you wouldn't!"

He chuckled and rubbed the spot on his arm, even though she hadn't hit him nearly hard enough to feel it through the suit.

"Well, I'd definitely ask her out on a date," he amended.

The superheroine nodded in approval, "That sounds a bit more realistic."

* * *

Three days and a flash of green light later, Marinette started her off week in a tailspin. She ran home and darted up the stairs to her room, skipping a few steps along the way.

"Ohmygosh, Tikki! He's- Adrien is-! Ohmygosh, ohmygosh, ohmygosh!" Marinette whispered as she clutched her head. The kwami patted her hand comfortingly.

Marinette took a few minutes to get herself under control and then turned to Tikki with a wide grin.

"Are you okay, Marinette?" Tikki inquired softly.

"Okay? I'm way better than okay, Tikki! Adrien is Chat Noir, so that means I actually know _Adrien_ like the back of my hand! How great is that?" she replied, waving her hands around excitedly.

Tikki tittered and snuggled up against her Chosen's cheek.

She smiled up at the pigtailed girl, "I'm glad you're taking it so well, Marinette."

Marinette giggled, "Why wouldn't I be taking it well? I just found out the love of my life calls me Bugaboo."

Tikki laughed too, "That's true! Who would've thought Adrien would have such silly nicknames for you?"

"Ooh, he's such a dork," Marinette squealed.

"Marinette, you should tell him who you are. It's only fair," Tikki suggested.

"I know, Tikki! I definitely plan to do it soon. I have to do it the perfect way, though." Marinette mused, tapping her chin as she thought it over.

The kwami tilted her head to the side in question.

"The perfect way?" she inquired.

Marinette nodded, "Definitely."

The pigtailed girl sprawled out on her bedroom floor, staring at the ceiling while she sifted through ideas. Tikki settled on the floor next to her head, chewing on a cookie while she waited.

After more than a few minutes of wracking her brain, Marinette jolted into a sitting position and scrambled to grab her phone. She clumsily dialed her best friend's phone number and a wicked grin stretched across her face when Alya answered.

"Hey Alya! I have a plan that'll definitely get Adrien to notice me. Would you mind helping me out?" she asked, bouncing her leg in excitement.

"What!? Girl, you don't even have to ask! Let me in on the plan," Alya screeched on the other line. Marinette smiled at Tikki.

"I'm gonna need a whole lot of limes."

…

If anyone questioned why Alya Cesaire was carrying a good sized box of limes through the front doors of Francois Dupont, they didn't voice their concerns. The Ladyblogger placed it on top of a grinning Marinette's desk.

"Mari, I love you... but I really don't think this is gonna work the way you want it to," Alya reasoned, worry in her eyes. The pigtailed girl's grin only widened, "Trust me, Alya. This is gonna be perfect."

"Marinette-" Alya began, but her words cut off as soon as the blond haired model walked through the doors.

He beamed at the two girls in greeting, "Hey, Alya! Hey, Marin-"

Marinette promptly dumped the box of limes out on the floor, allowing them to roll down the stairs and to Adrien's feet.

"Oops," she remarked without much conviction, and rushed down the steps to gather up the fallen citrus. Adrien blinked dumbly for a bit while she fumbled around, seemingly unable to hold on to any of the limes for longer than a millisecond.

Alya covered her face, unable to watch her friend's trainwreck of a plan any longer.

Ever the gentleman, Adrien crouched down to help her gather them up. They both froze as his fingers brushed against hers.

She locked eyes with him, and marveled at just how lovely he looked when he was confused. Marinette committed his expression to memory, and then her lips turned up in a smug grin.

"Sorry. I'm bad at Pickup Limes," she stated proudly.

Adrien's breath hitched, and he looked torn between laughing and simply gasping for air. There was no doubt about it, he'd figured her out. Marinette watched a multitude of emotions flicker across his features, and wondered which one was going to win out.

Her curiosity was finally satisfied when his expression settled into a delighted grin. Marinette felt his hand drift forward to envelop her own.

Then the grin rapidly devolved into a flirtatious smirk.

"Will you marry me?" he smarmed, throwing in a wink for good measure.

Alya's jaw dropped, and Marinette fought to urge to rub her obvious success in her best friend's face. She had an important question to answer, after all.

Marinette giggled and tapped her chin, "I don't know yet. I wouldn't say no to a date, though."

Adrien grinned triumphantly, "Deal."


End file.
